"Blessed are We" (Matthew 5:1-12)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

“Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened His mouth and taught them” (Matthew 5:1-2).

 

Today, the one holy Christian and apostolic Church observes the Festival of All Saints. The joy of this feast day is in its celebration of the unity of the Church Triumphant – those saints gathered already into rest in Christ Jesus – and the Church Militant – the present and future Church that struggles still under daily crosses. Together, both the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant constitute but one communion, one fellowship divine.

 

On this observance of All Saints, a good question to ask is who are the saints? Typically, there are three common usages for that term “saint.” The most common usage of the word “saint” are for those exceptional Christians whom from tradition or a very formal process has granted the letters “St” be placed before their names. We can think of St. Paul, St. Peter, St. Augustine.

 

The second-most common usage of “saint” is a sort of street usage of that word, like “She’s such a saint to put up with that!”

 

The third-most common usage of “saint” are those Christians who’ve died and have gone to heaven. There is certainly something to each of these definitions of “saint.”

 

But the Biblical definition of “saint” is a bit different. You see, this word “saint” comes from the Latin rendering the Greek hagios, or “holy ones.” A “saint” is a “holy one.” And who are these holy ones? Those who “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”(Revelation 7:14b).

 

To be holy requires not just a lot of patience or the endorsement of the Church, it requires being without sin. And you know what, St. Paul, St. Peter, and St. Augustine were sinners and were each incapable of cleansing away their own sin, just as we can’t wipe away our own sins. 

So, to be without sin requires having our sins taken away. And our sins can only be taken away through the perfect sacrifice: the blood of Jesus’ death on the cross, received by faith. So, a saint – a holy one – is one who believes Jesus has died to save him or her from their sins.

 

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus emphatically says that His saints are blessed. He says, “The One who is meek, merciful, a peacemaker. You are a saint. You who are poor in spirit. You are a saint. You who hunger and thirst for righteousness. You are a saint. You who are persecuted for His sake. You are a saint.” Jesus says His saints are blessed!

 

But this is the opposite of what the Jews then expected. You see, most Jews during Jesus’ earthly ministry expected the Messiah to be, first of all, a military and political leader who would deliver them from the yoke of Rome and establish a prosperous Jewish earthy kingdom that would lead the world. They expected the Messiah to be greater than any other king, leader, or prophet in their history. In fact, after Jesus fed the five thousand, the people tried to make Jesus their king by force. These Jews saw Jesus as their anticipated leader who would create a great welfare state as He would provide for all their routine physical needs. But Jesus would not let Himself be mistaken for that sort of a king.

 

Instead, they got this Jesus, who calls the poor, blessed; the meek, blessed; the peacemakers, blessed; the persecuted, blessed. The Sermon on the Mount and its Beatitudes are utterly contrary to those of human reason.

 

But in order to properly understand this sermon of Jesus, we must keep in mind the audience. The audience was, primarily, Jesus’ disciples, although a large crowd who had been following Jesus were evidently in the background listening in. The purpose of this sermon was to give Christ’s disciples a better understanding of the God-pleasing life. However, an unbeliever may interpret Jesus’ words today as a prescription for making oneself righteous and earning a place in the kingdom of God. But that is not what Jesus is teaching.

 

You see, Jesus’ Beatitudes do not tell us how to become blessed, but they rather describe the blessedness that already belongs in Christ. These Beatitudes do not describe eight kinds of believers, but they tell eight ways all Christians are blessed.

 

Again, all Christians are poor in spirit. Christians all mourn and all are meek. Christians all hunger and thirst for righteousness and are all merciful and pure in heart. Christians are all peacemakers and are persecuted for righteousness.

 

Jesus says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Those who are poor in spirit recognize their spiritual poverty, their sinfulness and unworthiness in God’s sight. They realize that they sin daily and deserve nothing but present and eternal punishment from God. These “poor in spirit” admit that their efforts at living up to God’s standards as expressed in the Ten Commandments fall miserably short.

 

You see, God demands one hundred-percent performance, but we – you and me – are stuck at zero. So, how do we qualify to be numbered as heirs of the kingdom of heaven? Well, we are like empty vessels ready to be filled. As the “poor in spirit,” we know that we can only become rich before God though faith in Christ Jesus. 

 

You see, it is only by Christ’s perfect obedience to all of God’s commandments and His sacrificial death on the cross for all the sins of the world – and by His resurrection and ascension – that we are numbered in the kingdom of heaven. And oddly enough, God the Father gives us all the credit for Jesus’ perfect righteousness. It is only through Jesus’ blood and merit that the spiritually poor become rich by faith.

 

And so, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). The meek are not boisterous and demanding and they do not insist on their own rights without consideration with others. The meek endure mistreatment without retaliating. Like Jesus, the meek place the matter of vengeance in God’s hands. And to the surprise of many, by faith, these meek will inherit the earth.

 

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Our hearts are naturally sinful and unclean. Our hearts are filthy. Our hearts need constant cleansing. So, it is appropriate that after we hear God’s Word proclaimed, we so often join King David as we call upon the Holy Spirit to “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). By faith, Jesus makes us pure through His blood and merit.

 

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). Peacemakers actively strive to make peace when there is enmity or hostility. They offer their services as mediators between warring nations or quarreling relatives or hostile neighbors. 

Insofar as possible, the peacemakers strive to live in peace with all people (Hebrews 12:14), but they are to be always ready to contend for God’s truth and justice when circumstances require it. Although peace is always desirable, peace at any price is not acceptable. Even Jesus said that He – the Prince of Peace – would disrupt peace. So, His saving Gospel would divide families, but true peace is only given when we are at peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ. 

 

And so, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). For sure, if we are persecuted or punished for wrongdoing, we have no right to complain. But we must also expect to suffer at times for saying and doing what is right. That is what happened to Jesus, so that we must expect the same from the fallen world. 

 

We can recall how all of God’s prophets suffered persecution at the hands of sinful men who should have welcomed and honored them. This has not changed, because sinful humanity does not change. Even to this day, Christians who publicly confess the Holy Scriptures as God’s inerrant Word persecute those who proclaim the whole counsel of God to them. So often, we are prone to compromise or overlook what God so clearly says in His Word. But all who remain faithful to God’s truth will be richly rewarded in heaven. And again, this reward is all by God’s grace through faith in Christ, not yours or my merit, but by Jesus’ blood and merit alone.

 

Each of these Beatitudes remind us of the blessedness that belongs to all who are in Christ. And if you are in Christ, you are truly blessed.

 

You and I are holy because He has washed us in His blood. By faith, you are among the blessed. So, blessed are we, for Jesus continually blesses us through His Word and His Sacraments. He blesses us through His Word so that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life. He blesses us through His Sacrament as we receive the blessings of His cross: forgiveness of sins, eternal life and salvation. By faith, He makes us who are poor in spirit, the richest in the kingdom of heaven and all through His blood and His merit. In Jesus, yours and my sins are forgiven, so rejoice and be glad for our reward is great in heaven! In Jesus, we are declared saints and we are blessed to be united with the Church Triumphant as we, with them, constitute one communion and one fellowship divine. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

                                                + SOLI DEO GLORIA + 

"A Glimpse of What is to Come" (Revelation 7:9-17)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: 

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no none could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10).

 

This vision is for us. It’s the revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John. Jesus revealed. John looked. And today, on this All Saints’ Sunday, we receive a glimpse of what Jesus revealed to John.

 

This vision helps us see the goal of every Christian currently striving in the Church Militant across the earth today. The goal to be part of this great multitude for eternity that no one can number from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before God’s throne, standing before Jesus Christ, the Lamb slain for our sin, clothed in resurrected glory for eternity.

 

This vision answers so many questions. Like: why do we establish Christian congregations? Why do we seek our prodigal sons and daughters? Why do we seek the unbelievers? Why do we call pastors? Why do we teach the one true Christian faith? Why do we give offerings sacrificially each week? Why do we plan for the future?

 

We do all those things so that we and many others from Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, West Salem and the Coulee Region, can be part of this great multitude before the throne of the Lamb!

 

Now, I’d like to give you some background on what led Jesus to reveal this vision to John.

When John wrote Revelation, it was a tough time to be a Christian. If you think today is tough, you have no idea. You see, for just being a Christian, many endured unimaginable pain. They were thrown to lions while onlookers cheered. They were set on fire. They were hurled down cliffs. They were skinned alive. And they were even boiled in oil.

 

If they would have only denied their Christian faith, life would have been so much easier. They would have been liked. They would have been approved of by society. They would have been approved of by this fallen world’s prince. They would be the ones sitting in the stadium seats, rather than the ones facing certain death below.

 

So, Jesus revealed this vision to John. Jesus knew that the faithful saints had struggles in the past, and they were going through struggles in the present, and that they would encounter more struggles in the future. Sin was certainly alive and well in these pagan cities of ancient Rome.

 

To the seven churches of Revelation, Jesus warns John of the forsaking of truth, of false prophets, of false teachings, of sexual immorality, idolatry, death of true faith, Jesus meaning little, going through the motions of religion, refusing to evangelize Christ to others, spiritual lukewarmness, and only finding security in possessions and wealth.

 

This sounds like what we face today. In fact, this is what we have always faced. The Church faces persecution from the outside and the Church faces persecution from the inside. The fallen world and its prince attack us from the outside. And our sinful nature attacks us from the inside.

 

The fallen world and its prince use approval and deception to lead us away from Christ. Our sinful nature enjoys being puffed up. Our sinful nature enjoys being among the crowd. And this fallen world, and its prince most certainly knows that. So, they lead us to deny Christ and His teachings. We get ourselves caught up becoming worldly minded as we may even find ourselves mocking Christ and His teachings.

 

Today, so much of Christ’s bride – the Church – is confused on what marriage is, how sexuality should be experienced, and who created this world in the first place. We begin to doubt Christ’s love for us. We question each other on where our own prodigals have gone, instead of reaching out to them personally to welcome them back into Christ’s flock. The Church is very much confused. 

And Jesus did promise that we would face challenges. As we heard in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven” (Matthew 5:11-12).

 

Jesus gave this vision to John – for us, so that we would be encouraged! For we will rise from death, live forever, worship and sing, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10).

 

We will do what every human was created to do: worship the one true God! Sin has disrupted this natural response. As, often, we would rather have nothing to do with God, since by our own flawed reason, we cannot believe in Jesus Christ or even come to Him. But God doesn’t just leave us in this state, so the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us with His gifts of Word and Sacrament, sanctifies us and keeps us in the one truth faith, so that in our resurrected state, we continue this pattern of worship already begun on earth, but now is done perfectly and without interruption as we sing, “Salvation belongs to our God …”

 

But how do we receive this future? Is it from service to our neighbor? Is it for our service to the church? No, but those are good things. Things that support our neighbor in his body and soul. The only reason for saints being in heaven is this: “They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14b).

 

You see, your future is based solely on being clothed in the righteousness of Christ! Your future is based solely upon the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, who shed His blood for you and your sin! You and I are saints, holy ones, now and forever, solely through the shed blood of Jesus that was spilled for you as He was nailed to a cross.

 

Now, there is some irony to this. What happens when you nick yourself and you have blood over your clothes? Or what happens if you accidently spill red wine on yourself? You try to get it out, since it will stain permanently. But the blood of Jesus cleanses permanently, because it is a payment in full for sin. It is a blood that continues to cleanse you from sin today as you hear of it here and as you drink it at this altar. 

 

Listen to your future:

“Therefore they are before the throne of God,
    and serve him day and night in his temple;
    and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
    the sun shall not strike them,
    nor any scorching heat.

For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
    and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:15-17).

 

Each of our years here on earth has been filled pain and struggle. And you can be sure that you may have many more years left filled with pain and struggle. You and I have shed tears saying our temporary goodbyes to saints who are now with their Lord.

 

But as God’s sure and certain Word proclaims, “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:37-39).

 

Here, in the foretaste of the feast to come, in this Divine Service, Jesus refreshes us in His Means of Grace – His Word and Sacraments – for our work in this fallen world and in our service to Him in His Church. 

 

But one day, our struggle with sin will be no more – and we will no longer hunger and thirst, since the Lamb will guide us to “springs of living water” (Revelation 7:17b) as He meets all our physical and spiritual needs. Our baptismal garments will be exchanged for the permanent robe of resurrected glory, and He “will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:17c).

 

On All Saints’ Sunday, we receive a glimpse into the bliss of heaven of our ultimate and certain future as forgiven saints through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ! Death will be no more! Mourning will be no more! Pain will be no more!

 

This is our bright and glorious future as saints, who come out of this great tribulation – our life now– arrayed in robes made white through the blood of the Lamb! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, 
keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.
+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord: Easter Sunrise - "Easter Living" (1 Corinthians 5:6b-8)

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

 

Had Christ not been raised, our preaching and your faith would be in vain, you would still be in your sins, but in fact, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!

 

Since you have received forgiveness of your sins, through the Crucified and Risen Christ, the Apostle Paul calls Christians to be Easter people. He is calling us to Easter living. Paul is calling us to celebrate the Easter festival not in celebrating our sins, but as forgiven people in Christ.

 

Through the Holy Spirit, Paul writes, “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5b-7).

 

The Apostle Paul fathered the church in Corinth, but this church caused the most headaches for its father. In so many ways, Corinth most closely resembles the western Christian church today. 

 

For the most part, the western Church has deluded itself into believing that the caring thing is to be infinitely nonjudgmental and inclusive. But this is simply a demonic lie. This lie causes the church to allow cancerous abuses to continue unchecked to the point when that cancer takes over the whole body and the body dies.

 

So, what was going on in Corinth? Well, they should have all been ashamed of an incestuous relationship in their midst, but instead, for the most part, the church was fine with it as Corinth took pride in their openness and tolerance. They were complacent about sin. In fact, they encouraged all sorts of sexual immorality, saying, “Love is love.” They were boasting that the forgiveness won for them by Christ Crucified gives them outright permission to do every sin imaginable.

 

To all this pride in sin, St. Paul admonishes them. Paul says to them, “You have the Gospel and you have become Christians, but you are also to live according to the Gospel by fleeing and avoiding everything that is not in conformity with faith and Christian conduct.”

 

In a culture where bread was the staple food, the Holy Spirit inspires St. Paul to offer this wayward church an object lesson: “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened” (1 Corinthians 5:6b-7a).

 

You see, everyone knew how a little leaven would permeate a batch of flour, causing it to swell and rise, ready for baking. At the same time, this powerful ingredient, so useful for baking, also came to symbolize evils which had the power to spread.

 

One of those evils was false doctrine. As it is with leaven, false doctrine works the same way. It may appear like a good thing at first, but quickly, false doctrine takes over and Christianity is lost. As it was for Corinth, they wanted to preach the Gospel of Christ, but mixed with the fallen world. This is the case with the mainline western church today. As the mainline denominations reasoned away Biblical authority, the sinful flesh and the fallen world took over. Truth was lost. 

 

You see, when one begins to give way to the flesh and to abuse freedom, even under the name of the Gospel, then that yeast is mixed into the right Christian conduct and quickly corrupts faith and conscience, it sweeps on until Christ and the Gospel are completely forgotten.

 

If it wasn’t for Paul admonishing the church in Corinth, Christianity would have been lost there. With love, Paul admonished and urged them to seep out this yeast, since the church has already begun to practice all kinds of sinful acts. 

 

With only one drop of poison, sweet wine and medicine are made harmful. Likewise, if only a drop of impurity is added to God’s Word, it is corrupted and it is good for nothing. The worst thing about leaven is that it spreads and adheres so strongly that it cannot be gotten out. It’s like cancer. It needs to be completely removed.

 

So, Christianity cannot tolerate false teachings. If it is mixed with human additions, then it will be obscured and damaged, and souls are led astray. To this, Christ says in Matthew 9:16, “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.”

As Easter Christians, faith cannot coexist with living according to the depravity of the flesh in sins and vice against the conscience. In one chapter later, Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, no adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).

 

So, as Easter Christians, we must sweep away the old yeast of sin – whatever sins they may be – and we are to teach those in our midst to sweep away the old yeast, those who have given into the devil’s lies. We must teach them and tell them that their old yeast must be swept away and that they are not Christians if they consistently give in to their sinful flesh and purposely remain and persist in sins against conscience. For it is so much worse when sin is done under the Name and cover of the Gospel, for in that way the Name of Christ is slandered and despised.

 

For, if we are Easter Christians, we are “a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We must sweep away the old yeast. Being a new dough and letting the old yeast remain is not fitting for celebrating Easter, for if it is not swept out, the new dough will be completely leavened and corrupted, so the previous sinful life would gain the upper hand and overthrow faith.

 

Through the Crucified and Risen Christ, we have become unleavened. Christ says to us, “You are clean because of My Word” (John 15:3), but Christ also says, “Every branch that does not produce fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:2).

 

It is Christ alone who makes us clean. He makes us clean through the Word and faith. But this isn’t immediate. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ works in us daily to cleanse us until we become purer and purer. He makes us purer through the office of the Holy Ministry with admonition, rebuking, improvement, and strengthening, just as Christ did through St. Paul at Corinth.

 

So, how do we live as Easter people? Well, through the work of the Holy Spirit, He leads us to appropriate and transpose our lives and behavior. Just as was done in Corinth, He does for us! The purity of the Corinthian church was at risk, but the triune God didn’t leave them in their sins. It was the work of God who led them to repentance, faith in the forgiveness of sins, and the new life in Christ. And it is the work of God who leads us to repentance, faith in the forgiveness of sins, and the new life in Christ, too!

 

We must trust in “Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2) as He has made Corinth and us a community of repentant sinners who live under the cross of Christ. We have “washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb” (Revelation 7:14). Fellow purified and redeemed, it is un-Christian to tolerate a fellow brother or sister in Christ who shows open contempt for the Gospel by their unwillingness to repent and look for forgiveness to Christ crucified for we are only made holy, redeemed, and clean through the crucified Christ. 

 

So just as Paul exhorted Corinth, he also exhorts us to properly celebrate the fulfilled Passover inaugurated by Christ’s crucifixion and His bodily resurrection! For Christians, Easter is not just today. It’s not just Sundays and Mondays with the mini-Easters of the Divine Service. No! For us, Easter is every day! We are forgiven in Christ, so let us live forgiven in Christ!

 

As we celebrate the new life in Christ, we should no longer be infected by “the old leaven” (1 Corinthians 5:7-8) of sin and arrogance. Nor should this new life feature “malice and wickedness” (1 Corinthians 5:8). Rather, we live the new life in Christ with fresh, unleavened bread “of sincerity and truth” (1 Corinthians 5:8).

 

In just mere minutes, Christ will give us forgiveness of sins through the Easter Lamb of unleavened bread in the Sacrament of the Altar. We add nothing, except that we receive Christ’s body and it eat it through faith, which Christ bestows to us and gives to us through that eating and drinking.

 

May we always celebrate the Easter festival in sincerity and truth for Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Reformation Sunday: "The Lord of Hosts Is With Us" (Psalm 46)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Reformation Sunday can easily become a day of celebrating German and Scandinavian heritage. Or it can easily become a day we focus on one man, a sinful man, Martin Luther. 

 

Now, Luther was important, we can’t dismiss that, but he was only an instrument of God. He was only a means God used to proclaim His truth.

 

We are not “Lutheran,” because we worship Martin Luther. We’re Lutheran because that name became synonymous with right teaching. We’re Lutheran because it became synonymous with the sound teaching of the Word of God. We are “Lutheran,” because being Lutheran means it’s all about Jesus. Behold, God is our refuge and strength!

 

Psalm 46 is well known to us. It’s well known particularly because of Luther’s hymn “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God,” which is a paraphrase of Psalm 46. This hymn, which we sang earlier, has been a comfort for so many Christians. This hymn and Psalm recognize the real problems we face because of the fallen world, our sinful flesh, and the devil, but it also provides comfort and security to those who are in the fortress of Christ’s protection.

 

The world of Luther’s day was filled with plagues and death, and the devil was recognized as active in the lives of everyday people. Today, the fallen world denies the devil’s existence, but he is still at play as he tricks people into thinking that good is evil and evil is good. This psalm recognizes all these troubles and tumults, while at the same time reminding us that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1). Our God is a mighty fortress, He is our refuge, and all who trust in Him are safe.

 

God is our refuge and strength in the midst of natural disasters. Natural disasters are everywhere. Tsunamis, earthquakes, mudslides, wild fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes plague our planet. Just recently, the fires in Maui, or closer to home, the fires throughout Canada and how that Canadian smoke has affected us here. 

 

The fears that natural disasters provoke are the focus of the first section of this psalm: “Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, through the mountains tremble at its swelling” (Psalm 46:2-3). The earth is giving way. Mountains are falling into the seas. The waters are roaring and foaming. The earth is trembling.

 

It is easy for Christians to say that we will not fear, but doubt is an inevitable result of the sin within each of us. Doubt causes us to fear at the turmoil of the natural world. Some are better at hiding their fear than others. Even we Christians will not overcome the totality of fear in our lifetime since our sinful nature is still part of us.

 

In addition to natural disasters that we face in this fallen world, fallen humanity itself causes us great anxiety and fear. In so many cases, humans cause much more pain than natural disasters do. Nevertheless, God is our refuge against our worldly enemies as “the nations rage, the kingdoms totter” (Psalm 46:6a).

§  Violence, wars, and rumors of wars are all around us: the mass shooting in Maine, the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the Ukraine-Russia war, and the wars that we are not aware of.

§  Civil unrest has become all too common. Murder, abortion, sexual sins, theft.

§  People being told to repent of their skin color, as if we can repent of how God intricately knitted us together in our mother’s womb. (Psalm 139:13)

§  People violently protesting against the very foundation of what is good, right, and salutary. 

Sin does not understand itself to be sinful since it looks inward to its own desires – and sin seeks to remove anything that threatens these desires.

 

Not only are people and nations raging, but they are also doing so because the devil and his demons are real and remain active in this fallen world, seeking to do evil and bring despair and death to God’s creation. 

 

But through it all – natural disasters and nations raging – God promises to be our refuge and strength, our very present help in trouble. He is our refuge from the powers of evil. The devil is constantly on attack in this fallen world. He attacks through social secularism and spiritualism. He first seeks to remove God from the world; second seeks to provide false gods. 

§  The false gods of manna – trusting in money and possessions. 

§  The false gods of health – trusting only in sinful man for cures, rather than God. 

§  The false gods of celebrity – trusting in the advice of actors, politicians, and social media influencers, rather than God’s truth. 

All of us must repent of falling away from God and into the devil’s lies.

 

Yet, again, God promises to be with us. In the midst of all of this, “The Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7). But we still have questions. “Where is God readily found in times of trouble?” “Where is He in the time of my need?” “How is God a refuge and strength?”

 

This confident voice in Psalm 46 sounds very different from the voice of Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1) Or Psalm 10: “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide Yourself in times of trouble?” (Psalm 10:1). Or Psalm 13: “How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide Your face from me?” (Psalm 13:1). In suffering, we often wonder where God is.

 

For some of us, if we are honest, the voice of Psalm 46 may sound hollow. The fact is, in times of deepest need, God seems not to be present. He seems to not be easily found. Where is He when we need Him most?

 

God answers that question. He answers that question by naming a place: a river. “There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High” (Psalm 46:4). But how is this an answer for us? What do these words have to do with us? Well, during one Passover, Jesus found men selling cattle and exchanging money in the temple. Angered at the sight, Jesus overturned the tables and threw out the merchants. When the Jewish authorities demanded to know who He thought He was in doing such an outrageous thing, Jesus said: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19). Then John explained that the temple He spoke of was His body (John 2:21).

 

The voice of Psalm 46 speaks to us when we see that the temple it talks about – the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High – no longer names only a place but also a Person. In Jesus, God is present for His people. He is a help readily found. By healing the sick, feeding the hungry, raising the dead, Jesus began to restore His fallen creation to what God intended in Eden. So, to be around Jesus was to experience God’s merciful presence. No wonder Jesus is the source of “living water” (John 4:10-11; 7:38; Revelation 7:17) and is “the water of life” (Revelation 21:6; 22:1, 17). Christ also tells the Samaritan woman: “Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

 

This River makes glad the city of God. The “city of God” is no longer a geographical place, but a people. The Church is the “city of God” gathered around the Word that God offers us in the preaching of the Gospel and in the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, which promise us forgiveness, life, and salvation! Here, we come together around these Means of Grace because it is here that God is “very present” as “a help” in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

 

In the Lord’s Supper, we hear God’s grace as He says, “Take, eat, this is My body; Take, drink, this is My blood … for the forgiveness of sins.” We receive His grace through His body and blood in our mouths. We also receive the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sends to live within us and to strengthen us; and in the fellowship of “the city of God,” all these gifts give us foretastes of the feast to come.

 

So, God is “very present”, and He is easily found. He is found as “the River.” This River’s streams make glad the city of God – the Church. In a world full of chaos, there is nothing that can harm those who are in Christ Jesus. The world can torture and kill, but God has defeated the powers of sin, death, and the devil through the death and resurrection of His only Son. All the raging powers cannot stand against the crucifixion of Jesus, His bodily resurrection, and our Baptism that intimately connects us to Him. When Jesus returns in glory, He will say, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10a). Then and only then, there will be peace.

 

Until that day, we do live in a fallen world of natural disasters, wars, rumors of wars, protests and violence, and every other kind of sin. Yet, this Psalm reminds us that no matter how chaotic things may seem to be, God stand above all things, and He promises us a place of comfort and safety in the midst of evil. We find this safety in Christ – in His Word and Sacraments. Apart from Him, there is only death, fear, suffering, and the works of the devil. But in Jesus, we have the Mighty Fortress. We have peace that is beyond all human understanding as “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46:7, 11). Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.   

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for All Saints: "The Great Multitude of Saints" (Revelation 7:9-17)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

[Intro]

 

Do you find it strange to be called a saint? I think most of us do. How often do you hear phrases like: “I’m no saint?” Or: “nobody’s perfect?” We know that we all have fallen short of the God’s demands upon us. Just as the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul: “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

 

We do not live a perfect life. We do not love God and love our neighbor as ourselves with all our heart and mind and strength. We are poor, miserable sinners in thought, word, and deed. This is what we confess.

 

But you are a saint. To be a saint doesn’t mean that you do not sin, that you no longer need the Lord’s forgiveness. We all need God’s forgiveness, and it is precisely this forgiveness that makes us saints. When we are forgiven, we are made holy. When we are made holy, we are saints.

 

This morning, we observe All Saints’ Day. The joy of today is in its celebration of the unity of the Church Triumphant – those saints gathered already into rest – and the Church Militant – those saints in the present and future Church that struggles still under daily crosses. Today, both the Church Triumphant and the Church Militant constitute but one communion, one fellowship. Together, they are the great multitude of saints that no one could number.

 

[The Great Multitude]

 

This is what the Holy Spirit’s Revelation to St. John reveals: “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes” (Revelation 7:9).

 

From what John is witnessing here is the scene of the Church Triumphant. These are the whole body of Christians who have lived from Christ’s bodily ascension into heaven all the way to His Second Coming. You see, those who are in heaven now, and us – who live by faith in Christ – are counted among this great multitude.

 

But for now – for us on this side of the Church Triumphant, we – by faith – are numbered among those saints. We are saints. But we are also sinners. We live in this paradox, known as the “now, but not yet.” As the Church Militant now, we experience suffering as we fight the battle of faith under the banner of Christ against our evil foes: Satan, the sinful world, and our own sinful flesh.

 

This, “now, but not yet” is proclaimed in so many of our hymns, but of those many hymns “For All the Saints” and “Behold a Host, Arrayed in White” proclaim it best.

 

“Oh, blessed communion, fellowship divine!

We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

Yet all are one in Thee, for all are Thine.

Alleluia! Alleluia!” (For All the Saints, LSB 677, stanza 4)

 

-and-

 

“Despised and scorned, they sojourned here;

But now, how glorious they appear!

Those martyrs stand, A priestly band, 

God’s throne forever near.

On earth they wept through bitter years;

Now God has wiped away their tears,

Transformed their strife To heav’nly life,

And freed them from their fears.

They now enjoy the Sabbath rest,

The heavenly banquet of the blest;

The Lamb, their Lord, At festive board

Himself is host and guest.” (Behold a Host, Arrayed in White, LSB 676, stanza 2)

 

This is the great multitude. On earth they feebly struggled. But in heaven, they in glory shine. On earth they wept, but in heaven, God has wiped away their tears. All the while, by faith in Christ, they are saints. Faith now, but truly fulfilled in the Church Triumphant.

 

For us, on this side of the Church Triumphant, we each experience challenges. We each experience some form of tribulation. We each experience various testings of our Christian faith. But do you know what? By faith in Christ, we are still pronounced holy.

 

What it means to be holy is to be the Lord’s saints. To be holy means that God has placed His name upon you. This means that you belong to Him. This means that you are holy. So, where and when were you pronounced holy? Well, when you were baptized! There, you heard God’s holy Name pronounced over you, which connected with the water, has marked you as holy, as a saint of God.

 

But the Triune God is not done with you at your baptism. No, He keeps us holy! The Lord brings us to the Sacrament of the Altar as He delivers His very Body and His very Blood as He says to us, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you; this cup is the new testament in My blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” So, when you eat and drink Christ’s Body and Blood and you hear these holy words, you are holy, you are His, you are saints.

 

As sinners, we don’t deserve God’s grace. All we deserve is eternal death, due to our sins. But God’s holiness comes as a gift, a pure gift, without any merit or worthiness in you.

 

So, we are saints, not because of anything we have done. On our own, we can never be a saint. We are saints because we find our holiness in the Lord’s forgiveness of all our sins. Again, we are not saints because of what we have accomplished, but because of what Jesus has done for you upon that cross. He suffered and died to make us saints. He rose for our justification so that we would know beyond any doubt that Jesus accomplished salvation for us. We are saints, not by the Law, but by the Gospel. We are saints not because of our perfect life, but by the forgiveness of our sins.

 

[The Not Yet]

 

One day, by faith in Christ, you will join the Church Triumphant. On that day, you will physically join that great multitude “clothed in white robes.” Again, these white robes signify their holiness, but where do these white robes come from? Is it by their good works? Doing more good than evil?

 

No, it is because of being sealed by God as His people! Again, this goes back to your baptism. You see, at the moment you were baptized, you received this white robe of Christ’s righteousness that covers all of your sin. This is the robe that the Church Triumphant wears in heaven. And these robes are made white in the blood of the Lamb shed on the cross. White is the color of purity and saints are made pure by the blood of Jesus shed for you.

 

On that day we enter the Church Triumphant, you will recognize and discern the earth’s most famous and powerful. You will recognize the rich and the famous as we learned through history. But most of this great multitude are quite unknown from history. And guess what, you will recognize them, too. Just like Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration, you will recognize Moses and Elijah. You will recognize everyone. You will know everyone. Among the great multitude will be every color of the flesh of humanity. Every person who put their trust in Jesus is there! From every nation and tribe!

 

But unlike the sinful world that focuses only on outward diversity, it’s not about their skin color. It’s all about their unity of attention. You see, they aren’t paying any attention to themselves. They are united in their gaze upon the Lamb on His throne, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is victorious in His sacrifice of love.

 

And that is the secret to being among the great multitude. They aren’t there by mistake. They aren’t there by sneaking in. They are there because they share the same blessedness. Blessed are they because Jesus Christ came to earth, became poor, mourned sin, humbled Himself to the point of death, so that they could see God, as children of God – as saints (Matthew 5:1-12). Jesus became a child of man in order to lift us up into what He is: a child of God. You see, the Beatitudes that Jesus preaches describe Him, but they also describe us – as saints in Christ.

 

Through the Baptismal Font and the Lord’s Altar, we have been sealed by His grace. There, we are made saints as we live the life of a saint in repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. In this grace, we are assured that we will be numbered among the great multitude where we will be before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple; where He shelters you with His presence. There, you shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike you, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne is the Shepherd who guides to springs of living water, and He wipes every tear from your eyes.” (Revelation 7:15-17)

 

It is only by God’s grace that our sins are forgiven. By God’s grace, we are made holy. We are forgiven and holy. By God’s grace, we are among the great multitude of saints. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +